Cruising the Mexican Riviera

 Ken and I took a week and went on a fun cruise in the Mexican Riviera on January 31- February 8.  We like to go on on Princess Cruise Lines.  It is a cruise we have done many times before.  This time we flew to LA rather than drive, as we usually do.

LA cruise port

As soon as we got settled in our room, I found the steward and asked where the library was.  His answer was the saddest sentence I have heard, "This ship has no library."  One of the things I most look forward to on cruises is going to the library.  I bring books that I have read in my suitcase to donate, hoping I will find others I want to take with me.  I was so sad!  I had brought plenty to read while on the cruise (as you may have noticed with all of my recently posted book reviews on here,) but I was hoping to find good books to take home.  I instead took home my books that I planned to donate and have since shared in little free libraries here in town.

As always, the food was delicious; the service superb.

We had a lovely private table by a window each night for dinner.

As we approached Cabo San Lucus, we saw many whales.

These boats were all gathered around whales that had come up.

If you look amongst the boats you can see them.

This whale was right by us- this picture taken from our balcony.

See him?

After going ashore by tender, we hired a water taxi to take us whale watching.  We saw many whales.  I'll post just a few pictures here, but it was such an interesting experience that I will do a separate post about it after this one.

That evening, after dinner, we sat out on our balcony and watched the gorgeous sunset.  It was a highlight of the cruise. The weather was perfect and the company superb.

We saw beautiful sunsets out our dining window as well.

Ken got up early many mornings and went walking up on the top deck.  One morning he got beautiful photos of the sunrise.

One evening we went to this show.  She sang ABBA songs and was really good.

Shopping area in Matzatlan.

We wore masks on the flights and a lot times on the ship as well, but to no avail.  Yes, that is foreshadowing.

Despite getting sick after, it was a wonderful and relaxing trip.  

UFO

 Actually, this was an Identified Flying Object.  It was a Starlink Satellite Launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California.  It caused our power to flicker on and off.  People got some great shots:

And Then There Were None

 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classic Fiction. Audiobook
I can see why this is a classic. If you haven’t read this, you really need to. So well-read in the audio version.


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Tie Tying

 Michelle sent this picture that really touched my heart.  They didn't even know she took it from the hallway.  

It reminded me of a zone conference we attended while on our mission.  President Smith took time to teach the elders how to tie their ties. He did just what Brian is doing in this picture.  He got behind one of the elders and demonstrated how to properly tie a tie.  It made me cry.  I realized that not every boy has a father like Brian.  What a great dad.

In Love With Books

 

The Lost Year

 

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction. Physical book.
This is a powerful book about a part of world history that I knew nothing about. I appreciated the contrast between that horrible time in history (1930s) and the 2020 pandemic. It is a sad story, but one that teaches and informs. We are discussing it at our upcoming online family bookclub.


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BYU Bound

 
Our grandson got his acceptance letter and is BYU bound!  He's hoping to serve his mission first but has BYU to look forward to after.  We are so excited for him!  Way to go, Nathan!

After You

 

After You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fiction. Physical book
This is the second book in the series, following Me Before You. I didn’t like Will in the first book. He was so selfish, leaving pain and destruction in the wake of his decision. This book continues the story of Louise and her healing process. I liked it better, but again, it had one character that I couldn’t stand: Lily. She was so rude and selfish and out of control. I guess it runs in the family. I also didn’t like how Lou lets her take advantage of her. I almost quit reading because it was so irritating. But the book also has admirable characters and it’s a good story. It does leave you hanging in the end. I guess I’ll have to read the third and last book of the series. Maybe next year?


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The Lost for Words Bookshop

 

The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fiction. Audiobook.
Another good story set in an English bookshop. The main character is trying to keep her terrifying past a secret by keeping her head down and doing her job well in the bookshop. But caring people help her and love her, breaking down her barriers. I really enjoyed the English accent of the reader.


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